La Plata Electric Association to hold rate information meeting

By Indiana ReedSpecial to The SUN

The La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) Board of Directors will host a series of rate information meetings to discuss reasons behind the pending, average 11-percent rate increase and answer member questions. New rates will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013.

The local rate information meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the Ross Aragon Community Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd.

The LPEA Board of Directors gave preliminary approval for rate increases at its Nov. 19 board meeting. Though the average rate increase is approximately 11 percent, specific increases will depend on the rate classification of each residential, commercial and industrial customer. The average residential bill of $88.40 will notice an increase of approximately $11.20 per month.

LPEA must give at least a 30-day notice of proposed rate changes and during that time will accept member comments to those proposed changes. The board is scheduled to give final approval at its next board meeting, Wednesday, Dec. 19.

“In general, LPEA’s rate increase and changes to its rate structure are a direct result of the changes Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, our wholesale power supplier, has made to its rate structure,” said LPEA board president Jerry McCaw. “We, and our fellow distribution cooperatives, have been involved in the two-year process to do our best to protect our members. To say it’s been challenging is an understatement. With the public meetings, we want to try to explain to our members what we’ve learned and what is coming our way.”

The increases for each rate classification have been published in The SUN (Nov. 29) and are posted online at www.lpea.coop.